Thanks to Cindy Marabito many of us are now aware of the pit bull HATE walk/rally that is scheduled to take place on October 27th in Tucson, AZ. It comes as no surprise that is being put on by liar extraordinaire Colleen Lynn who irresponsibly attempts to make people believe that banning “pit bulls” will make their communities safer. A better way for community members in Tucson, AZ to spend October 27th would be to attend the screening event of the film Guilty Til Proven Innocent. If Colleen were serious about safety she would be pushing to strengthen and properly enforce dangerous dog laws.

For example she should be looking at the Calgary and Alberta, Canada, model, as they have the lowest bite rates and no breed specific legislation. They incorporate licensing, public education and enforcement, with supporting agencies all working together. Key aspects of the program include no breed specific legislation, stronger licensing programs and stronger enforcement as well as safety public awareness and education campaigns. “We don’t punish breeds, we punish behavior,” said Chief Officer Bill Bruce. “The bottom line is, we believe all dogs are capable of biting.”

DOGSBITE.ORG website is not run by an “expert” in the field of canine behavior. It is run by a woman with a grudge. Her name is Colleen Lynn and she was the victim of a dog bite in 2007. Because of this incident that involved one individual dog she has decided to enact revenge on ALL pit bull type dogs.

Many question the truthfulness of Colleen’s account of what happened to her in June of 2007. Her story has changed multiple times. Pit Bulletin Legal News thoroughly investigated the incident and published these never before seen documents. It is clear to myself and many others “that Ms. Lynn never published the Seattle Animal Control records regarding the investigation because the story she is now telling bears very little resemblance to what actually happened, and are in total conflict with the only other witness involved: the dogwalker.”

While Colleen’s blatant disregard for the truth on her website is not a surprise and not unexpected, it is important for all of us to have the correct information easily available. Thankfully there is the National Canine Research Council whose dedicated staff comb through the details of every dog bite related fatality.

The National Canine Research Council “re-interviews sources the media has reached, and located others they have not, among whom may be police investigators, animal control officers, coroners, veterinarians, health department officials, dog owners, and eye witnesses. They have obtained incident reports, bite reports, human and animal autopsy reports, summaries of judicial proceedings, and crime scene data and photographs when available.”

Dog bite-related fatalities are exceedingly rare. In 2010, 33 fatalities occurrd within a population of more than 308 million and a canine population estimated at over 78 million. NCRC is currently investigating 31 incidents in a dog population of over 78 million that occurred during 2011 thay may qualify as dog bite related fatalities. A final tally is subject to change as a result of NCRC’s thorough investigations. Their final report will be available the first week of 2013.

“There are at least two parties involved in a dog bite; a dog and one or more humans. Dog behavior cannot be understood or analyzed apart from humans, or the situations in which humans have placed dogs.”

I live in Phoenix, I was wondering what we could do to speak out against this or do something. I know in the past I have attempted to contact this lady and while she wants to act all high and mighty about banning pit bulls b/c of dog bites, her site does not allow for any opposing opinions that challenge what she says. A sad example of a human being.

In my opinion the best thing to do is to educate the people so they understand why BSL does not work. Like you, I also feel contacting her and her cronies is a waste of time. Thank you for taking the time to commment. Best – Sloane

Hi Jeff, I didn’t know this, what a fantastic idea. Education of the community is the best response to these fanatics. Talking to Colleen and her cronies is a waste of time. I can’t wait to see your film. Will you be screening in NYC at all? Thank you – Sloane

I have shared this information throughout Facebook (Patrick’s Miracle, Handsome Dan’s Rescue, Wallace the Pit Bull, etc.) and have also sent it to all the local news stations in Phoenix. My hope is to spread that word that this is an ignorant frame of mind that will do nothing to ensure the safety of the public or any dog breed that exists.

That is fantastic of you, thank you so much! Did you see that a screening if Guilty Til Proven Innocent is going to be shown while this is going on? I added it this morning to the post as the creator let me know. Thanks again Shannon – Sloane

Folks like this Colleen need to be Banned and not the breed of dog that obviously she knows not a damn thing about… And she better walk right out of Tucson and keep on walking, period… This breed of dog is not born mean or vicious but rather mild mannered though strong and they love people and other dogs. At least in over 20 years knowing, having had, the breed I found only this to be true…

The word is that less than 40 people attended this hate walk. I saw pics and it looked like a 3rd graders birthday party. Very low budget and low class. Bands played standing on the dirt (no stages eventhough they billed this as a top notch event and carnival type event) the food vendor dod not show up due to lack of people there so they ordered a few pizzas. 14 to 20 of the ateendees were the hosts of the event and close friends. Victims could not afford the travel expense to attend and dogsbite surely would never use any doantion monies to help them get there, then again she has never donated one single penny to any victim or their families!